Tag Archives: Tribulation

Now, we will be given further detail of the governmental systems that will be in place all over the world during the tribulation. We left off, in Chapter 12, learning about the structure of the governmental system that satan had put in place at the time of his rebellion, during the first earth age, and there are a lot of similarities between the system at that time and the system we will be seeing in he very near future. There is good reason for that, and it is because satan is behind both systems.

(Rev 13:1) And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast rise up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns, and upon his heads the name of blasphemy.

This beast is the one world political system that, with satan’s influence, will be put in place during the first half of the tribulation, during the 5th trumpet. As you may notice, it’s very close to the system explained to us in chapter 12, with one notable difference–this one has ten crowns, as opposed to seven.

The seven heads are seven world nations–Africa, Europe, Oceania, Asia, Middle East, North America, and South America. Many of these are already in place overtly, and there is a race to finish solidifying this governmental structure.

The ten horns are ten positions of power over the seven world nations, and the ten crowns represent the despots that will sit in these positions.

We are told that this government is blasphemous, and that’s because the purpose for the world to be arranged in this fashion is the desire to create a worldwide utopia in which there is no war (and no need for war or reason for war), and there is no competition or hatred or anything that makes this world ugly (but that is just what is told publicly–it’s really about power, and the most power-hungry one is satan). There is only one problem, and it is that none of this plan includes Jesus in any way. Without Jesus, there can be no true peace. They know at least that there is a good chance that world peace may last on its own, because of human nature, therefore there is a plan to enforce that peace, which is currently in the works. We won’t go into much detail of that in this article, but it will astonish you!

This is part of the modern day Tower of Babel because, just as in Genesis 11, the world leaders want to create their own salvation, without God, and that’s contrary to God’s plan because what we are supposed to be learning, in the flesh, is that we cannot have salvation without God. We cannot have a good life without God, and I’m talking about eternal life, the way it was meant to be.

(Rev 13:2) And the beast which I saw was like unto a leopard, and his feet were as the feet of a bear, and his mouth as the mouth of a lion: and the dragon gave him his power, and his seat, and great authority.

You may recognize that these comparisons of this beast system resemble something you have likely read in the past–Daniel 7.

(Dan 7:2) Daniel spake and said, I saw in my vision by night, and, behold, the four winds of the heaven strove upon the great sea.

(Dan 7:3) And four great beasts came up from the sea, diverse one from another.

These four beasts in Daniel are four increasingly powerful world superpowers throughout world history that have great influence over the people of the world.

(Dan 7:4) The first was like a lion, and had eagle’s wings: I beheld till the wings thereof were plucked, and it was lifted up from the earth, and made stand upon the feet as a man, and a man’s heart was given to it.

The first beast is like a lion, which is the animal that represents the tribe of Judah in the Bible, but this lion is Jesus. This is a Christian nation and it has eagle’s wings, meaning that it has the protection of God. However, these wings are plucked from off its back, and therefore that protection is removed and this power begins to fail. And because of this removal of God’s protection, it is made to stand on its own power, and without God’s help, it’s very difficult to be successful. Does this sound like any nation you’ve heard of? What nation is represented by an eagle to this day? You’ve guessed it: the United States.

Since the name of Jesus Christ has begun to be removed from every aspect of government and daily life, this nation has been going downhill. It’s a fact of life and this nation has been declining for decades. When we have a success, God is not even mentioned, and when we have a failure, the belief in God is blamed. That’s not a very good policy!

(Dan 7:5) And behold another beast, a second, like to a bear, and it raised up itself on one side, and it had three ribs in the mouth of it between the teeth of it: and they said thus unto it, Arise, devour much flesh.

What nation is known widely as the bear? Yes! Russia (formerly the USSR or the Soviet Union). Following the Russian revolution, beginning in the nineteen-teens, communism took over, and Russia became a godless society. It’s very easy to research and find the economic failures that Russia has gone through, especially during it’s heaviest communist period, but many of its undesirable traits still remain, as it is trying to shake off the problems of the past 100 years.

It raised itself up on one side because it had previously fallen, wounded. But as it began to rise back up, it did so at the expense of three other nations, Christian nations. Which ones might they be? Well, pay attention to what is going on in current events. It will thrash and tear these nations to pieces.

(Dan 7:6) After this I beheld, and lo another, like a leopard, which had upon the back of it four wings of a fowl; the beast had also four heads; and dominion was given to it.

This third beast is a leopard, and it has wings of a fowl, which mean it has the protection of satan. What is this leopard? It is the beast formed by those whose spots are not the spots of God’s children (Deut 32), and because of its spots, it is incognito and goes largely unnoticed. They are impostors who claim to be the children of God, but they are liars (Rev 2 & 3), the kenites. They have built a worldwide system of four hidden dynasties–Religion, Politics, Economy, and Education (Zech 1, Rev 6)–which gnaws away at our freedom and at the minds and hearts of most of the people across the world, except those who have the Seal of God. These are the four heads that lead this leopard beast. And the protection of satan, its four wings of a fowl, is administered by the four angels we saw loosed in Revelation 9 (the evil counterparts to God’s archangels).

(Dan 7:7) After this I saw in the night visions, and behold a fourth beast, dreadful and terrible, and strong exceedingly; and it had great iron teeth: it devoured and brake in pieces, and stamped the residue with the feet of it: and it was diverse from all the beasts that were before it; and it had ten horns.

The fourth beast of Daniel is unlike anything we have seen before it, and is more horrible and more powerful than any of those past beasts. It has iron teeth, back by the fallen angels (iron), that rip to shreds the power of any of the prior world superpowers. This beast will strip the power and sovereignty from all national governments and put their welfare in its hands. This is already taking place, and you may know it if you pay attention to world events.

One thing you may want to note is that this nondescript beast has ten horns. Where have we seen that before? Oh yeah, this brings us back to Revelation 13.

(Dan 7:8) I considered the horns, and, behold, there came up among them another little horn, before whom there were three of the first horns plucked up by the roots: and, behold, in this horn were eyes like the eyes of man, and a mouth speaking great things.

This next incarnation of the fourth beast we will cover later in Revelation 13, so just keep it in the back of your mind.

(Rev 13:2) And the beast which I saw was like unto a leopard, and his feet were as the feet of a bear, and his mouth as the mouth of a lion: and the dragon gave him his power, and his seat, and great authority.

So, we are told the first beast of the tribulation is like the leopard, which means that it is empowered by four hidden dynasties, which have slowly swayed public opinion to blindly accept it because it gnaws away at the minds of the world population.

We see it has the feet of the bear, which means it is mobilized by the principles of communism, the system that the Soviet Union made so infamous.

It has the mouth of the lion, meaning that it speaks like Jesus, and therefore most of the world believes it is good and peaceful, but it is not by the power of Jesus, but of satan, the dragon. Satan is behind this evil system that he wants to use to ultimately destroy as many souls as will let him take the throne in their hearts.

(Rev 13:3) And I saw one of his heads as it were wounded to death; and his deadly wound was healed: and all the world wondered after the beast.

Alas, one of these seven heads would be wounded almost to death. This wound we will see in the burdens of Isaiah, as well as in the Gospels of Jesus. What is necessary to establish a worldwide political system? Peace needs to first be maintained between the nations, or else there will be not only bickering between districts, but civil war due to the differing cultures and philosophies. Without the love and peace of Jesus, this peace must be enforced by a central body. After all, a nation divided cannot stand.

(Mar 3:24-26) And if a kingdom be divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. And if a house be divided against itself, that house cannot stand. And if Satan rise up against himself, and be divided, he cannot stand, but hath an end.

Satan knows this, and that’s why this is his first objective in erasing all political boundaries and motives to war. They have the means and will be utilizing them very soon.

Well, although they have the means since this governance is not built on the Rock, Jesus, it will still crumble as tensions boil over and can no longer be contained. Where are most of the political tensions in the world today? In the middle east. This Middle Eastern Head will be the one that receives the deadly wound. What we will see taking place is a war in that region, which will culminate with many muslim nations, backed by Russia, will invade the tiny nation of Israel and soon after surrounding its capitol of Jerusalem. As the armies mobilize, there will be a build-up similar to WWI, in which nations will each choose a side, one after another, and prepare for a major war. Many of the “Christian” nations will back the nation of Israel, and many of the muslim nations will back its opposition. We can see this even shaping up right this minute.

As soon as war seems imminent, someone will come in and save the day and heal this wound. Why? Because a nation divided against itself shall not stand.

(Rev 13:4) And they worshipped the dragon which gave power unto the beast: and they worshipped the beast, saying, Who is like unto the beast? who is able to make war with him?

Who is this savior? None other than satan himself, the dragon. When he heals this deadly head wound, the world will be in wonderment and will ask who can make war with this beast. This is because this figure will appear to have ended and made impossible all future war, and the world will believe that the system will never again be able to fail.

(Rev 13:5) And there was given unto him a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies; and power was given unto him to continue forty and two months.

As far as the people of the world know, their respective messiahs have all returned in one being. He will claim that all religions’ messiah have all along been one entity, and that’s him. The problem is that all world religions are of satan. True Christianity is not a religion, and therefore is not on the same level as the rest of these theologies–Christianity is simply a reality. Even the denominations of Christianity have been largely perverted and led astray from Jesus Christ (stick with the Bible). We are seeing this three and a half-year time period once again. This is an indication that we are seeing satan, who will now be on earth as the antichrist. Prophecy of evil is often given in months because it goes by the moon, satan–prophecy of good is often given in days and years because it is based on the sun, God.

(Rev 13:6) And he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme his name, and his tabernacle, and them that dwell in heaven.

Everything satan will say, once he arrives, will be a blasphemous lie, and will be part of his flood of lies. It will seem holy to most people because they are not rooted in the Word of God.

(Rev 13:7) And it was given unto him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them: and power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations.

The saints are God’s elect, not what most people think of when it comes to the saints–it has nothing to do with performing miracles, and the saints are not to be prayed to–though many traditional saints are actually true saints. Those here on earth remaining faithful to God and not buying into satan’s system are themselves saints, as well, which simply means, “ones set aside, sanctified and made holy by God.” Satan hates God’s saints and will do anything he can to try to destroy them. That is his mission. In the process he will destroy the souls of everyone else, although most, being blinded to the truth of God, will receive one last chance later.

(Rev 13:8) And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.

Anyone who does not remain faithful to God, therefore being listed in the Book of Life and also being Sealed by God, will be deceived into worshiping the antichrist.

(Rev 13:9) If any man have an ear, let him hear.

Pay attention.

(Rev 13:10) He that leadeth into captivity shall go into captivity: he that killeth with the sword must be killed with the sword. Here is the patience and the faith of the saints.

Those who lead the world into captivity, which is enslavement by the deception of satan in the end times, will themselves go into captivity, but those who kill and try to stop this plan (which is ultimately part of God’s plan) will be killed. This is all a part of God’s plan and must happen, so there is no point in even thinking about trying to thwart it, or you will be going against God. If you fight and kill those who are working for satan, that is bad, and that will work against you. If you try to spiritually kill someone, as satan and his friends try to do, that is also very bad and those beings will be punished.

When the elect are delivered up before the councils of satan to give testimony as to why they won’t worship antichrist, the Holy Spirit will speak through their mouths, and if they try to say something under their own power, or to resist the Holy Spirit, that will also be considered treason against God. That will be a blasphemy because God’s elect know better, and the punishment for treason is death.

(Luk 12:10) And whosoever shall speak a word against the Son of man, it shall be forgiven him: but unto him that blasphemeth against the Holy Ghost it shall not be forgiven.

(Rev 13:11) And I beheld another beast coming up out of the earth; and he had two horns like a lamb, and he spake as a dragon.

At this point, we are seeing the rising of the last beast of the tribulation, the second part of the fourth beast in Daniel 7, the one world religion. Antichrist will have two horns like the Lamb (Jesus) has two horns–he will look like the Lamb, and he will appear to have the power of the Lamb (horns represent power)–but he will truly speak as the dragon, satan.

(Dan 7:8) I considered the horns, and, behold, there came up among them another little horn, before whom there were three of the first horns plucked up by the roots: and, behold, in this horn were eyes like the eyes of man, and a mouth speaking great things.

Among all the ten horns, one notable one rises up to replace three of the ten horns of the first beast of the tribulation, which have now been removed from their places. This horn is the antichrist who has now seized power of the world system and transformed it from a political system to one of religion, and he is the head pontiff. He will claim to be God, the Savior of the world, but he will be on earth as a man.

(Rev 13:12) And he exerciseth all the power of the first beast before him, and causeth the earth and them which dwell therein to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed.

All of the power of the first beast, and the seven world nations, will still be in place, but he has changed the focus of the world from political peace to a false religious peace. The world will now be of only one religion, and any deviance from this religion will be outlawed, just like in the kingdom of Nebuchadnezzar, in Daniel 3.

(Rev 13:13) And he doeth great wonders, so that he maketh fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men,

Satan will be given miraculous power, by God, to perpetrate this rouse because it is still for the good of God. It will even appear that he has control of God’s consuming fire.

(Rev 13:14) And deceiveth them that dwell on the earth by the means of those miracles which he had power to do in the sight of the beast; saying to them that dwell on the earth, that they should make an image to the beast, which had the wound by a sword, and did live.

No one will be immune from this deception except those with the Seal of God, His elect. They will make an image of this beast, reminiscent of the one set up in Daniel 3, to be worshiped. All will be commanded to bow to the antichrist.

(Rev 13:15) And he had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed.

Though he will threaten death for anyone who refuses, we are told that if we remain faithful to God, He will protect us (read Daniel 3).

(Luk 21:12-17) But before all these, they shall lay their hands on you, and persecute you, delivering you up to the synagogues, and into prisons, being brought before kings and rulers for my name’s sake. And it shall turn to you for a testimony. Settle it therefore in your hearts, not to meditate before what ye shall answer: For I will give you a mouth and wisdom, which all your adversaries shall not be able to gainsay nor resist. And ye shall be betrayed both by parents, and brethren, and kinsfolks, and friends; and some of you shall they cause to be put to death. And ye shall be hated of all men for my name’s sake.

Not only will the faithful be protected physically, but they will retain their salvation, represented here, and throughout the Bible, by their hair or head covering.

(Rev 13:16) And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads:

Everyone else, those who do bow to antichrist, will receive the Mark of the Beast, which will, at least temporarily, condemn their souls. This mark is not a physical mark, but one within their foreheads, meaning within their minds and hearts. And it is also in their right hands, which represent the work that they do and whom they serve.

(Rev 13:17) And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.

Those who refuse to bow to antichrist will not have the ability to buy or sell supplies or goods, and they will not have the ability to take advantage of the economic system in any way, but don’t fear God will take care of you if you are faithful, just as He did for the faithful Israelites in the Exodus, as they wandered through the wilderness.

Also these faithful servants of God, more importantly, won’t buy anything the satan-followers will be selling in terms of knowledge and understanding of the truth because that will only be junk. Think back to the Parable of the Ten Virgins.

(Rev 13:18) Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is Six hundred threescore and six.

Do you have satan’s number? Does he have yours? You don’t want to fall for the 666–6th seal, 6th trumpet, and 6th vial. Those are the numbers of satan, and you want to stay strong through the 666, and into the 777, Jesus. Six is the number of imperfect flesh man, and 666 is the trinity of satan, perfection of imperfection.

After learning about the seven trumpets in Chapters 8, 9,10, and 11, we are now going to take a look at a chapter that is going to span the from the First Earth Age through to the Millennium. That is a long time for one chapter, but it kind of sums up the entirety of God’s plan in a nutshell.

(Rev 12:1) And there appeared a great wonder in heaven; a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown of twelve stars:

This woman represents the House of Israel (including Judah), those who are faithful to God, and she has God’s protection and she has the ability (in God’s power) to walk all over satan, always represented by the moon. Of course, that means that the 12 stars are the 12 patriarchal children of Jacob (Israel).

(Rev 12:2) And she being with child cried, travailing in birth, and pained to be delivered.

Since the beginning of time, God had His plan in place for this world as a preparation for when one of His children would rebel and lead the rest of His children astray. This former child of God is satan, once known as Lucifer. In the time of satan’s rebellion, God had His faithful warriors who refused to go astray, and those servants of God would receive special roles on earth, in their flesh bodies.

This woman represents both the wife of Israel, and the Virgin Mary, on different levels. The faithful servants of God were waiting to be born on earth to help to fight the evil of satan, but also God was waiting for the right time to be born in the flesh as Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior.

(Rev 12:3) And there appeared another wonder in heaven; and behold a great red dragon, having seven heads and ten horns, and seven crowns upon his heads.

This is the beginning of a separate vision given to John. We are given the description of a beast and, at first, it may seem to resemble the beast that we will be given in the next chapter, 13, however, you’ll notice that that beast has seven heads, ten horns and ten crowns upon his heads, whereas this beast has only seven crowns upon his heads. The reason for this is that this is simply not the same beast. The beast in chapter 13 appears during the tribulation, but this beast was one that satan put in place in the first earth age, during his rebellion. Satan established a system of governance that he used to try to lead people away from God, to follow himself instead.

He wanted to be worshiped and thought he was greater than God because he took pride in how he was made more beautiful and more powerful than the rest of God’s children, and he became arrogant. This pride and arrogance has led to his downfall, just as it can for anyone.

(Isa 14:3-20) And it shall come to pass in the day that the LORD shall give thee rest from thy sorrow, and from thy fear, and from the hard bondage wherein thou wast made to serve, That thou shalt take up this proverb against the king of Babylon, and say, How hath the oppressor ceased! the golden city ceased! The LORD hath broken the staff of the wicked, and the sceptre of the rulers. He who smote the people in wrath with a continual stroke, he that ruled the nations in anger, is persecuted, and none hindereth. The whole earth is at rest, and is quiet: they break forth into singing. Yea, the fir trees rejoice at thee, and the cedars of Lebanon, saying, Since thou art laid down, no feller is come up against us. Hell from beneath is moved for thee to meet thee at thy coming: it stirreth up the dead for thee, even all the chief ones of the earth; it hath raised up from their thrones all the kings of the nations. All they shall speak and say unto thee, Art thou also become weak as we? art thou become like unto us? Thy pomp is brought down to the grave, and the noise of thy viols: the worm is spread under thee, and the worms cover thee. How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations! For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High. Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit. They that see thee shall narrowly look upon thee, and consider thee, saying, Is this the man that made the earth to tremble, that did shake kingdoms; That made the world as a wilderness, and destroyed the cities thereof; that opened not the house of his prisoners? All the kings of the nations, even all of them, lie in glory, every one in his own house. But thou art cast out of thy grave like an abominable branch, and as the raiment of those that are slain, thrust through with a sword, that go down to the stones of the pit; as a carcase trodden under feet. Thou shalt not be joined with them in burial, because thou hast destroyed thy land, and slain thy people: the seed of evildoers shall never be renowned.

We won’t take the time to really discuss all the verses in the above excerpt in particular, which we will do at a later time, but I wanted to simply point out some of what was written about the exploits of satan, once called Lucifer, when he was actually a servant of God. Also, if you want to read more about the history of satan, check out Ezekiel 28.

Since making this transition to an adversary of God, satan has been focusing his every effort on trying to lead God’s children away from Him, whether through deception, or through coercion–it doesn’t really matter to him which one. During his rebellion, in the first earth age, before the foundation of this current earth age, described in Genesis 1, he succeeded in both convincing many of God’s angels to leave His camp, and in deceiving many more.

(Rev 12:4) And his tail drew the third part of the stars of heaven, and did cast them to the earth: and the dragon stood before the woman which was ready to be delivered, for to devour her child as soon as it was born.

The “tail” of this dragon, the old serpent, led one of three distinct categories of God’s children from Him. This one group chose to follow him by free will, knowing exactly what they were doing in leaving the side of God. And, in the blink of an eye (for God), after He had recreated the earth (to test who His children would follow, when born into a world without memories of the world that was), and flesh man had been here for a matter of thousands of years, God prepared to also enter the flesh Himself to experience life in the body of a man, albeit a perfect man, as Jesus Christ, detailed in Hebrews 2.

(Rev 12:5) And she brought forth a man child, who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron: and her child was caught up unto God, and to his throne.

After satan’s rebellion, God recreated the earth so that we all could be born into flesh bodies, without memory of the world that was, and as part of this plan, God chose to also put Himself into one of these bodies, to be born in the flesh, in order to experience, first hand, what we know so well. He did this both so that He would feel what we feel, and because He would not put us through something He was not also willing to do Himself (Hebrews 2). Of course, we are talking about Jesus Christ, and it is through Jesus Christ, and Jesus Christ only, that all salvation is possible and available to us. This just gives us another reason to respect and love God.

Satan knew, as did we all before we were born on earth, that God would be doing this, so he was prepared to come and interfere with this plan by trying to take down as many of God’s children as he could by leading us away from God.

This woman, here, is Mary, on one level, but more importantly she represents the children of Israel (not the nation, but God’s people, which now also includes any true Christian).

As most of us know, Jesus was ultimately crucified, and then He rose up to Heaven after 3 days, where He took His throne as our Lord and Savior.

(Rev 12:6) And the woman fled into the wilderness, where she hath a place prepared of God, that they should feed her there a thousand two hundred and threescore days.

Some time after Jesus was crucified, in this last generation, the children of Israel (those who remain faithful to God), are to be called the elect, will be wandering through the wilderness much like the children of Israel led by Moses. This wilderness is the tribulation, but God will protect and feed His faithful, just like in the story of Exodus. We are given the time period, here, of 1260 days, which is the pre-shortened length of each half of the tribulation, and this is to point out that we are talking about just that (read Revelation 11).

(Rev 12:7) And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels,

We read, in Revelation 9, about the fallen angels being released, at which point a war in Heaven ensues between God’s angels and satan’s fallen angels. Of course, as we are told elsewhere, this dragon is satan himself.

(Rev 12:8) And prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven.

However, the good guys always win, and satan and his army cannot defeat God and His, at which point the rebels are cast down to earth for the final phase of the tribulation.

(Rev 12:9) And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.

(Rev 12:10) And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night.

Satan, the adversary, is also known as the accuser. He spends all of his time trying to get God’s children in trouble, like an immature sibling (remember that satan was once a child of God as well, and therefore a brother). Now he is coming to earth to wreak havoc and he’ll pull no stops to accomplish his goals. Anything goes with him, as he is the most self-centered being in the universe. But, also remember, God is always in control, and satan has limits to what he is able and allowed to do (just like in the story of Job).

(Rev 12:11) And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death.

We are given the end of the story, and we know that the ending is a happy one. But, there is a lot we must go through before we get there. We are not approaching the true end, at this point, but it is the end of an era, an evil period of time when satan pretty much has his way with those who aren’t wearing the Gospel Armor (Ephesians 6).

(Rev 12:12) Therefore rejoice, ye heavens, and ye that dwell in them. Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea! for the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time.

Even the angels of Heaven pity those on earth for what we are about to go through, as we are told this will be a time of trouble never seen on earth. God has mercy on His faithful, and satan won’t be here indefinitely. He has a relatively short time to accomplish what he wants to do, for which we will be given much greater detail in the next chapter, 13.

(Rev 12:13) And when the dragon saw that he was cast unto the earth, he persecuted the woman which brought forth the man child.

His goal on earth, as antichrist, is not only to win over the hearts of every person on earth, but he is especially focused on God’s elect, but the elect have a form of protection known as the Seal of God (Revelation 7), but this won’t stop satan from trying. This Seal is not something on the outside, but something that protects our soul, and he will make sure that he does not miss an opportunity to sway every single person who will allow him a place in his or her heart.

(Rev 12:14) And to the woman were given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness, into her place, where she is nourished for a time, and times, and half a time, from the face of the serpent.

The wings of the great eagle are the protection of God, and all of those who stand with Him receive His protection. In this verse, we are given the 1260-day pre-shortened half-tribulation in years–three and a half years (1 time + 2 times + 1/2 time=3 1/2).

(Rev 12:15) And the serpent cast out of his mouth water as a flood after the woman, that he might cause her to be carried away of the flood.

While satan is physically here on earth in this second half hour of temptation, we will need to remain in our Ark of Truth to wait out the flood of his lies that comes from the mouth of satan. If you don’t reside within this ark, you might be carried away, just like in the time of Noah. How do you enter into this ark? By sincerely accepting Jesus, which means you will also study His Word, and you will begin to understand and know the truth of God from His Word in the Bible. The ark is “pitched” and “sealed” with this Seal of God given by the Holy Spirit (read Genesis 6-8), and this keeps the ark afloat.

(Rev 12:16) And the earth helped the woman, and the earth opened her mouth, and swallowed up the flood which the dragon cast out of his mouth.

(Rev 12:17) And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.

Because he cannot harm those within this symbolic, spiritual ark, satan grows very angry and he will kill the two witnesses, as we read in chapter 11, and will round God’s elect up wanting to kill them in the battle of Armageddon, which we will discuss more in other articles.

Don’t worry, the moral of the story is to put on the Gospel Armor, earn the Seal of God, and reside within the Ark of Truth, and you will be able to withstand the Flood of Lies from satan’s mouth, when he is on earth in person, as antichrist. The time is near!

The book of Zechariah, though he is considered a minor prophet, is a very major book with very major prophecy. The chapters of this book are focused on the last generation, especially the tribulation itself. With that in mind, let’s get started!

(Zec 1:1) In the eighth month, in the second year of Darius, came the word of the LORD unto Zechariah, the son of Berechiah, the son of Iddo the prophet, saying,

The time period we are given for this first chapter is during the reign of Darius the Mede, of Persia. These visions given to the prophet Zechariah are roughly contemporary with the book of Daniel (just after Daniel 9 & 11, for this chapter, in the 5th century BC), which itself spans the reign of many foreign rulers over the land of Judah.

(Zec 1:2) The LORD hath been sore displeased with your fathers.

Since the early times of the people of Israel, there has been a strong history of idolatry and going astray from God. This is the whole reason that the people of Israel and Judah have gone into captivity–God has divorced them as His people. For more information on the history of the Israelites, read the books of Joshua through Nehemiah. God warned the people of the kingdoms of Israel and Judah long before that if they did not change their ways and come back to Him, that they would be taken captive. Now, in the book of Zechariah, we are in this captivity.

God wants Zechariah to speak to His people and implore them that they turn back to Him so that they can, once again, be His people.

(Zec 1:4) Be ye not as your fathers, unto whom the former prophets have cried, saying, Thus saith the LORD of hosts; Turn ye now from your evil ways, and from your evil doings: but they did not hear, nor hearken unto me, saith the LORD.

No matter how much warning the prophets gave to these stubborn people, they refused to live according to God’s ways. They would much rather have done the things that felt good to them at that moment, instant gratification, than to do the things that would be better for them in the long run and that would please God. Does that sound familiar? Isn’t that the same thing that we see in the world today? You know it is. The message is the same and that’s why it applies to the end times just as well as history. Just as the God’s people were led into captivity before Christ, they are going into another captivity in the end times, but it is a captivity that encompasses the whole world, and only those who stay strong in Christ will be immune.

(Zec 1:5) Your fathers, where are they? and the prophets, do they live for ever?

The people throughout the history of Israel and Judah practiced these humanist ways, doing whatever pleased them, and how did they end up? Are they still enjoying it? Life on earth in these old flesh bodies doesn’t last long, and once it is done, then you have to answer to God. Do you want to have to explain to Him why you decided to rebel against Him, or do you want to hear that you were His good and faithful servant? If you are in constant rebellion to God, do you think you will live forever? If you do, you’ve got another thing coming.

(Zec 1:6) But my words and my statutes, which I commanded my servants the prophets, did they not take hold of your fathers? and they returned and said, Like as the LORD of hosts thought to do unto us, according to our ways, and according to our doings, so hath he dealt with us.

God’s Word always comes to pass exactly as written, without exception. If you doubt this, you are in for a rude awakening.

(2Pe 3:2-11) That ye may be mindful of the words which were spoken before by the holy prophets, and of the commandment of us the apostles of the Lord and Saviour: Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts, And saying, Where is the promise of his coming? for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation. For this they willingly are ignorant of, that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of the water and in the water: Whereby the world that then was, being overflowed with water, perished: But the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men. But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up. Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness,

(Zec 1:7) Upon the four and twentieth day of the eleventh month, which is the month Sebat, in the second year of Darius, came the word of the LORD unto Zechariah, the son of Berechiah, the son of Iddo the prophet, saying,

(Zec 1:8) I saw by night, and behold a man riding upon a red horse, and he stood among the myrtle trees that were in the bottom; and behind him were there red horses, speckled, and white.

This man is one of God’s scouts that roams the earth monitoring its condition. Notice that he is standing among myrtle trees, which is an indication that this vision is taking place during the festivities of the Feast of Tabernacles (which includes myrtle trees). Keep that in the back of your mind when considering what we will be told.

The man himself is on a red horse, which in Revelation 6 represents the political dynasty of the kenites, but it also represents mobilization for war (which is political in nature). He is on a war horse, and though he is not at war at the moment, he is prepared for battle at the right time. The scout also had with him other red horses, and speckled horses that are bay horses with speckles, and white horses, prepared for an army of scouts of God.

This vision takes place right at the end of the tribulation, just before the return of Jesus and the start of the Millennium. What is the significance of the myrtle trees and the Feast of Tabernacles? That is the time period in which Jesus will return, and the feast itself corresponds with the Supper of the Lamb. But before this feast will begin, Jesus is going to clean up the trash that has littered the world–of course, I mean the sin that runs rampant.

(Neh 8:13-17) And on the second day were gathered together the chief of the fathers of all the people, the priests, and the Levites, unto Ezra the scribe, even to understand the words of the law. And they found written in the law which the LORD had commanded by Moses, that the children of Israel should dwell in booths in the feast of the seventh month: And that they should publish and proclaim in all their cities, and in Jerusalem, saying, Go forth unto the mount, and fetch olive branches, and pine branches, and myrtle branches, and palm branches, and branches of thick trees, to make booths, as it is written. So the people went forth, and brought them, and made themselves booths, every one upon the roof of his house, and in their courts, and in the courts of the house of God, and in the street of the water gate, and in the street of the gate of Ephraim. And all the congregation of them that were come again out of the captivity made booths, and sat under the booths: for since the days of Jeshua the son of Nun unto that day had not the children of Israel done so. And there was very great gladness.

(Zec 1:9) Then said I, O my lord, what are these? And the angel that talked with me said unto me, I will shew thee what these be.

(Zec 1:10) And the man that stood among the myrtle trees answered and said, These are they whom the LORD hath sent to walk to and fro through the earth.

(Zec 1:11) And they answered the angel of the LORD that stood among the myrtle trees, and said, We have walked to and fro through the earth, and, behold, all the earth sitteth still, and is at rest.

At this point in the vision, we are at the end of the tribulation, which is the last segment of the captivity of the last generation, and the world is at rest because they believe they are living in a worldwide utopia. Antichrist is on earth and they believe him to be their savior, but very few know his true identity. They see the supposed peace brought to the world by antichrist and think they can take a break and rest because there is nothing to worry about, but in fact, there is a spiritual war brewing like none other ever seen.

(Zec 1:12) Then the angel of the LORD answered and said, O LORD of hosts, how long wilt thou not have mercy on Jerusalem and on the cities of Judah, against which thou hast had indignation these threescore and ten years?

(Zec 1:13) And the LORD answered the angel that talked with me with good words and comfortable words.

It has been 70 (threescore [3×20] and ten) years since the captivity began, and this is the same as what will be during the captivity of the end times, the generation of the fig tree, which we are currently in. The scout comforted Zechariah because it was the end of the captivity–that’s the only thing that would comfort him. We are being told a major bit of information about the last generation.

(Zec 1:14) So the angel that communed with me said unto me, Cry thou, saying, Thus saith the LORD of hosts; I am jealous for Jerusalem and for Zion with a great jealousy.

God is jealous for the people in Jerusalem because they are falling for the Mystery Babylon system, which has taken over and, in effect, replaced Him. They are worshiping satan instead of worshiping Him. That is a breach of the most important commandment. There should be no god before the one true God.

(Zec 1:15) And I am very sore displeased with the heathen that are at ease: for I was but a little displeased, and they helped forward the affliction.

Because they believe the world is the way it should be, and are following whom they believe to be God, the people are no longer following God Himself, except the few who have the Seal of God and know better. The rest of the world, without the Seal, He is disgusted with and they will get a huge surprise when they find out that the true Jesus has yet to return, and will be doing so with the wrath of God. Maybe they wouldn’t be so laid back if they did know.

(Zec 1:16) Therefore thus saith the LORD; I am returned to Jerusalem with mercies: my house shall be built in it, saith the LORD of hosts, and a line shall be stretched forth upon Jerusalem.

Though all of this sin is taking place worldwide, it will not stop God from having mercy on those who have remained faithful to Him. His faithful, upright elect will reside in His house, the Millennial Temple in Jerusalem, after the return of Jesus, from where Jesus will rule on earth, and everything will be made right and just.

Even though Jerusalem has become a place of sin and idolatry and heathenism, God will make it right and return to His favorite place on earth.

(Zec 1:18) Then lifted I up mine eyes, and saw, and behold four horns.

Zechariah is opening up his eyes to see the deeper truth in God’s Word, and what he sees are four horns, which are the power wielded by the four hidden dynasties, religion, politics, economy, and education, over the entire world. These four hidden dynasties paved the way for the one world government of the tribulation, and for its leader antichrist, satan himself.

(Zec 1:19) And I said unto the angel that talked with me, What be these? And he answered me, These are the horns which have scattered Judah, Israel, and Jerusalem.

The four hidden dynasties have brainwashed the world into believing the lies that would lead people away from God. God’s people, the descendants of Israel, have no clue they are even of Israel, and they have mostly gone astray from Him, along with the rest of the world. Israel has mixed in with the world population and believe they themselves are gentiles. In the Millennium, God’s people will be rejoined once again and will be disciplined and taught how to live according to God’s ways, and will learn to revere Him one way or another.

(Eze 37:15-28) The word of the LORD came again unto me, saying, Moreover, thou son of man, take thee one stick, and write upon it, For Judah, and for the children of Israel his companions: then take another stick, and write upon it, For Joseph, the stick of Ephraim, and for all the house of Israel his companions: And join them one to another into one stick; and they shall become one in thine hand. And when the children of thy people shall speak unto thee, saying, Wilt thou not shew us what thou meanest by these? Say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I will take the stick of Joseph, which is in the hand of Ephraim, and the tribes of Israel his fellows, and will put them with him, even with the stick of Judah, and make them one stick, and they shall be one in mine hand. And the sticks whereon thou writest shall be in thine hand before their eyes. And say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I will take the children of Israel from among the heathen, whither they be gone, and will gather them on every side, and bring them into their own land: And I will make them one nation in the land upon the mountains of Israel; and one king shall be king to them all: and they shall be no more two nations, neither shall they be divided into two kingdoms any more at all: Neither shall they defile themselves any more with their idols, nor with their detestable things, nor with any of their transgressions: but I will save them out of all their dwellingplaces, wherein they have sinned, and will cleanse them: so shall they be my people, and I will be their God. And David my servant shall be king over them; and they all shall have one shepherd: they shall also walk in my judgments, and observe my statutes, and do them. And they shall dwell in the land that I have given unto Jacob my servant, wherein your fathers have dwelt; and they shall dwell therein, even they, and their children, and their children’s children for ever: and my servant David shall be their prince for ever. Moreover I will make a covenant of peace with them; it shall be an everlasting covenant with them: and I will place them, and multiply them, and will set my sanctuary in the midst of them for evermore. My tabernacle also shall be with them: yea, I will be their God, and they shall be my people. And the heathen shall know that I the LORD do sanctify Israel, when my sanctuary shall be in the midst of them for evermore.

(Zec 1:20) And the LORD shewed me four carpenters.

(Zec 1:21) Then said I, What come these to do? And he spake, saying, These are the horns which have scattered Judah, so that no man did lift up his head: but these are come to fray them, to cast out the horns of the Gentiles, which lifted up their horn over the land of Judah to scatter it.

The four carpenters are those who put a stop to the one world system at the return of Jesus. They are the ones who are responsible for the reestablishment of God’s temple in Jerusalem, which we will read about later in Zechariah. Those who were not sealed by God did not have the desire or the ability to know what was going on in the world, and therefore could not lift up their heads to see because of what the four hidden dynasties did to scatter them among the heathen.

In this one chapter of Zechariah, we have actually been given a whole lot of information about the end times, however it is not apparent to most people. Do you have eyes to see?

In the previous chapter, 9, we entered the end time stage known as the Great Tribulation, a time of troubles never before seen on earth. We will now learn about more events which will take place during this testing period.

(Revelation 10:1) And I saw another mighty angel come down from heaven, clothed with a cloud: and a rainbow was upon his head, and his face was as it were the sun, and his feet as pillars of fire:

God is sending His angel scout to earth to survey the conditions and what has happened so far. God has the ability to do anything and everything Himself, but He chooses to use His faithful servants as much as He can, just as He has since the beginning of time, because it is an honor to serve Him.

The angel scout is bathed in the glory of God and accompanied by God’s consuming fire, and as impressive as this is, it pales in comparison to the presence God Himself. However, this event will not be perceptible by those here on earth.

(Revelation 10:2) And he had in his hand a little book open: and he set his right foot upon the sea, and his left foot on the earth,

This little book has the events of the seven thunders written within, which means that they are already predetermined by God, and this angel is aware of what is written, but for whatever reason they are shared with John, though he is not supposed to tell anyone else. It may very well be that they can be deduced from throughout the Bible, and will be before they happen, but there will be very few that will know and recognize these, and rest assured these people would also not share them with everyone else. This knowledge is also likely contained within the golden oil piped to the elect from the two witnesses, who arrive just before antichrist, about which we will read in the next chapter of Revelation, 11.

The scout angel was sent down to earth in person to observe all that will be taking place halfway through the tribulation and he is even to wonder among the people (the sea) and observe that the conditions are right for the next step to begin.

(Revelation 10:3) And cried with a loud voice, as when a lion roareth: and when he had cried, seven thunders uttered their voices.

With boldness, the angel is proclaiming that it is time for the events of the seven thunders to be proclaimed for John’s benefit, at which time these events had not happened. We can determine that these events had not yet occurred by the time the 6th trumpet had sounded. They are events that will take place after the 6th trump, in the second half of the tribulation.

(Revelation 10:4) And when the seven thunders had uttered their voices, I was about to write: and I heard a voice from heaven saying unto me, Seal up those things which the seven thunders uttered, and write them not.

These seven thunders are signs which are not to be recognized until after they have happened, just as we do not hear thunder until after we see the lightning. By the time we observe the sound of the thunder, the lightning has already struck and done its damage. This is the reason these things are not written, because they are not to be known ahead of time. We are foretold all things, and if we study the Bible honestly and in prayer, we will know what things are about to come. The seven thunders, however, are those things that the rest of the world will look back on and realize they should have known what was to be, only they hadn’t read. The unlearned of the Bible will be kicking themselves, but will only have themselves to blame. Remember, hindsight is 20/20.

Also, lightning can be seen from very far away, which is how the coming of Jesus is described:

(Matthew 24:26) Wherefore if they shall say unto you, Behold, he is in the desert; go not forth: behold, he is in the secret chambers; believe it not.

(Matthew 24:27) For as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.

(Matthew 24:28) For wheresoever the carcase is, there will the eagles be gathered together.

If we do not see Jesus Himself immediately upon His return, it is not Jesus, but the antichrist instead. Everyone will know instantly when He returns. By the time, the rest of the world sees Jesus’ second coming, it will be too late for repentance. We will then enter a period of discipline and correction for those who were not prepared.

(Revelation 10:5) And the angel which I saw stand upon the sea and upon the earth lifted up his hand to heaven,

(Revelation 10:6) And sware by him that liveth for ever and ever, who created heaven, and the things that therein are, and the earth, and the things that therein are, and the sea, and the things which are therein, that there should be time no longer:

In the name of God, the scout is confirming that it is the right time for the final stage of the flesh age to begin, in which satan, as antichrist, and his fallen angels will be cast by the archangel Michael down to earth to test everyone alive at that time. The world, as we now know it, is coming to an end.

(Revelation 10:7) But in the days of the voice of the seventh angel, when he shall begin to sound, the mystery of God should be finished, as he hath declared to his servants the prophets.

It is at this time that the last of God’s servants, his elect, are sealed with the complete knowledge of all the events that are imminent. This seal is both a protection against being deceived by satan and receiving his mark of the beast, and to ensure that God’s servants know and complete their mission to the end.

(Revelation 10:8) And the voice which I heard from heaven spake unto me again, and said, Go and take the little book which is open in the hand of the angel which standeth upon the sea and upon the earth.

Now, John is instructed to receive the knowledge in this book from God’s scout.

(Revelation 10:9) And I went unto the angel, and said unto him, Give me the little book. And he said unto me, Take it, and eat it up; and it shall make thy belly bitter, but it shall be in thy mouth sweet as honey.

To eat a book or a scroll means to consume its knowledge. Once he does this, the contents of the book will enlighten John, but at the same time, it will make him literally sick and cause anxiety because of the gravity of what it contains. This is common when someone is given deeper understanding of God’s Word. It can be both a blessing and a curse, but God’s servants can handle it and welcome it. This is why it is given to only a select few that are strong enough for the responsibility. Note that John is told to take the book. It isn’t handed over by the angel because we are to take an active role in learning what is written therein.

Are you strong enough?

(Revelation 10:10) And I took the little book out of the angel’s hand, and ate it up; and it was in my mouth sweet as honey: and as soon as I had eaten it, my belly was bitter.

John has the intestinal fortitude to get the job done.

(Revelation 10:11) And he said unto me, Thou must prophesy again before many peoples, and nations, and tongues, and kings.

Now John will be given yet another vision to convey to those who will receive it.

Do you want to have a role to serve God and His plan in the events of the end of the flesh age?

In chapter 8, we read about the blowings of the first four trumpets of God, in which each signal and announce the next stage of the end times. We are then told that there are three woes about to come. In chapter 9, we will see the ushering-in of these first two woes, which will be a time of troubles and tribulation never before seen on earth.

(Revelation 9:1) And the fifth angel sounded, and I saw a star fall from heaven unto the earth: and to him was given the key of the bottomless pit.

As the fifth trumpet is blown, a star will from from heaven, which is the spiritual influence of satan on earth, and this will be stronger at this time than ever before. He will also be given the key to the bottomless pit, which is where his fallen angels, those who made the decision to attempt to thwart God’s plan and come to earth to wreak havoc for Him on two separate occasions in the past, are currently held. With satan being given the key to this holding place, he is being given partial and temporary control once again over them for the ultimate good of God’s purpose. Later in Revelation, we will learn what this ultimate good is.

This 5th trumpet announces the first half of the tribulation.

(Revelation 9:2) And he opened the bottomless pit; and there arose a smoke out of the pit, as the smoke of a great furnace; and the sun and the air were darkened by reason of the smoke of the pit.

With this key, satan opens up the bottomless pit to release these demonic beings physically. Up until now, since they have been under lock and key as we are told in Jude, they have only been able to have a mild spiritual presence and influence on earth, but now they will be free to roam. However, they will not come to earth immediately upon their escape. They will first begin a war in heaven against God’s angels for the first half of the tribulation, which in totality is known as the hour of temptation.

(Rev 12:6) And the woman fled into the wilderness, where she hath a place prepared of God, that they should feed her there a thousand two hundred and threescore days.

(Rev 12:7) And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels,

(Rev 12:8) And prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven.

(Rev 12:9) And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.

(Rev 12:10) And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night.

(Rev 12:11) And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death.

(Rev 12:12) Therefore rejoice, ye heavens, and ye that dwell in them. Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea! for the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time.

This woman in verse 12:6 represents God’s elect, the children of Israel (not to be confused with the nation of Israel in the Middle East), and they are about to head into the wilderness (which brings to mind the story of Moses and his people), in which God will take care of His elect and make sure they stay safe. This wondering in the wilderness of the second half of the tribulation was originally told to be 1230 days (3 1/2 years), before the timespan was shortened per Jesus, and this 1230 days corresponds to satan’s time on earth as antichrist, and is written there to remind us of this time period. Once the fallen angels are released, there will be war in Heaven, in which they will battle God’s angelic army, but they will not be able to defeat God, and Michael, one of God’s archangels, will cast satan and his cronies down to earth for the final half of the tribulation as part of God’s plan to test those on earth. This casting down will happen after the 6th trumpet, as we will find out in the next couple chapters.

Satan will be given a short time here on earth to deceive the world into leaving God and worshiping him instead. He will claim to be God and perform many miracles, but only those who truly know Jesus and His Word will be able to overcome satan’s deception.

(Rev 8:1) And when he had opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven about the space of half an hour.

In this verse of chapter 8, the seven seals have just finished being opened, signaling the vision of the seven trumpets to start for John. This can be confusing because the seals, like everything else in the Bible, have different levels of meaning. This does not mean that the trumpets start being blown after the 7th seal is opened because that would be mixing the levels of understanding. For our purposes here, we are talking about the actual chronological events of the trumpets. The seals, in the sense that they represent understanding of the end times, mean understanding of the last generation, and the 7th seal is the understanding of the events of the tribulation, including the trumpets.

When the 7th seal was opened in chapter 7, leading into verse 8:1, there was finally silence in Heaven for one half hour, half of the tribulation, because after the war between the angels in Heaven, satan and the fallen angels are to be cast down to earth for the second half hour of the tribulation. Once this happens, Heaven will finally be silent for that second half, as we are going to enter a period of testing no one has ever experienced.

(Revelation 9:3) And there came out of the smoke locusts upon the earth: and unto them was given power, as the scorpions of the earth have power.

Out of this pit, first comes smoke, which is the deception of satan that attempts to obscure and cover the light of God’s truth, just as smoke can extinguish the daylight. This smoke, in the first half of the tribulation, really begins to cover the earth, as the deception of the tribulation is begun. While these demons are physically still in Heaven, their spiritual influence will be all over the earth with satan’s, and this influence brings about the one world political system. This will prepare the world for the next step of the plan so the people are ready to accept him as their savior instead of Jesus.

This is one of the locust armies forecast by Joel the prophet in the Old Testament. The first is the “gnawer” stage, which is the kenites gnawing away at our freedoms. Second is the “swarmer” stage, the arab muslims swarming the world to attempt to attain world dominance. The third is the “devourer,” which are the fallen angels devouring men from the inside out. And the Fourth, and final stage, is the “consumer,” in which satan and his fallen angels are on earth physically in person. With this 5th Trump, we are at the “devourer” stage.

They will be like scorpions, which devour their prey by stinging and first digesting their victims from the inside, before sucking and consuming those digested innards. These demons will be preparing man by turning his mind into mush before they arrive in person to spiritually consume those they have deceived. This smoke of deception will be their sting.

(Revelation 9:4) And it was commanded them that they should not hurt the grass of the earth, neither any green thing, neither any tree; but only those men which have not the seal of God in their foreheads.

The grass here emphasizes the frailty of flesh mankind and the green things are those who are spiritually healthy, the bride of Christ, and those trees are people. The demons are commanded by God not to hurt anyone on earth until those chosen by God are sealed with understanding the Holy Spirit would give them to lock away in their minds.

(Rev 7:1) And after these things I saw four angels standing on the four corners of the earth, holding the four winds of the earth, that the wind should not blow on the earth, nor on the sea, nor on any tree.

(Rev 7:2) And I saw another angel ascending from the east, having the seal of the living God: and he cried with a loud voice to the four angels, to whom it was given to hurt the earth and the sea,

(Rev 7:3) Saying, Hurt not the earth, neither the sea, nor the trees, till we have sealed the servants of our God in their foreheads.

(Rev 7:4) And I heard the number of them which were sealed: and there were sealed an hundred and forty and four thousand of all the tribes of the children of Israel.

Chapter 7, the 6th seal, details the sealing of God’s chosen before the arrival of antichrist, who is satan, on earth. The sealing will protect those sealed from falling to satan’s deception and worshiping him, which would have otherwise caused them to receive the mark of the beast. Everyone on earth will have either the Seal of God or the Mark of the Beast in their minds.

(Revelation 9:5) And to them it was given that they should not kill them, but that they should be tormented five months: and their torment was as the torment of a scorpion, when he striketh a man.

Those without the Seal of God will be tormented during this time by the full-strength lies of satan. Not only that, but in a few chapters, we will see the fate of those who receive the Mark of the Beast as the 7 angles pour out their vials.

(Revelation 9:6) And in those days shall men seek death, and shall not find it; and shall desire to die, and death shall flee from them.

This is twofold in the sense that those who are deceived will believe satan is God, and they will want to leave they earth and be with him in a spirit form, but when they receive the initial punishment for their transgressions, they will be suffering as they never have before, but yet they will still not repent. They will believe they are doing what God wants them to and will not understand why they are suffering. They have chosen to ignore God’s Word, which is why they are so easily deceived.

(Revelation 9:7) And the shapes of the locusts were like unto horses prepared unto battle; and on their heads were as it were crowns like gold, and their faces were as the faces of men.

These locusts are doing battle here on earth, but they will soon be here in person and will battle like they’ve never done before. They will assume the role of spiritual leaders peddling a false doctrine, that only appears to be the doctrine of God to most in the world. But it is not really the pure gold from Jesus, and those who study His Word thoroughly will know the difference. They will seem to be people, and will appear not only harmless, but benevolent.

(Revelation 9:8) And they had hair as the hair of women, and their teeth were as the teeth of lions.

They will appear to be beautiful and angelic and good to those that are unlearned, but they are actually ferociously evil and ready to destroy souls. These demons will fool you with their gentleness and kill you with kindness.

(Revelation 9:9) And they had breastplates, as it were breastplates of iron; and the sound of their wings was as the sound of chariots of many horses running to battle.

Breastplates were the attire of the Levitical priesthood of the Old Testament, meaning that these fallen angels will pretend to serve God, but the breastplates that they would wear are not of gold, they are of iron. This iron construction calls to mind the iron used in the idol made by Nebuchadnezzar in Daniel 3, in which the iron represents the demonic fallen angels that will intermix with the men, which are the clay. The wings they have here are the protection of satan, which is only superficial because God allows them all to do what they’re doing to accomplish His plan. He could wipe them out at any time if He wanted to, yet He uses their evil for the benefit of us all in the end.

(Revelation 9:10) And they had tails like unto scorpions, and there were stings in their tails: and their power was to hurt men five months.

As we are told by Jesus, He shortened the time of the tribulation, both the first and second halves. Originally the tribulation was told to be 7 years, meaning spiritual completion, and was in two 3 1/2 month halves. But the length of the shortening we are given is 10 months, the same as the length of the flood in Noah’s time, with two 5-month halves. This is the first half, and people are being prepared by the scorpions by being turned to mush, as preparation from the second half, when the evil ones are here to take control of the world, de facto.

(Revelation 9:11) And they had a king over them, which is the angel of the bottomless pit, whose name in the Hebrew tongue is Abaddon, but in the Greek tongue hath his name Apollyon.

Of course, as we now know, their leader is satan, the destroyer (Apollyon). He is given the key and is the one who releases them from the pit at the right time.

(Revelation 9:12) One woe is past; and, behold, there come two woes more hereafter.

The 5th trump has been the first of the three woes about which we foretold about in chapter 8. We are about to enter into the Second Woe, which will be worse than the first.

(Revelation 9:13) And the sixth angel sounded, and I heard a voice from the four horns of the golden altar which is before God,

Those four horns of the altar of God are those who have power under God. They are the four archangels, who are like God’s main generals.

(Revelation 9:14) Saying to the sixth angel which had the trumpet, Loose the four angels which are bound in the great river Euphrates.

As the 6th trumpet is blown, satan’s counterparts to God’s archangels are released in the middle east, at the Euphrates, the symbolic boundary between the ways of the heathens in Babylon and the ways of God’s people. The ways of Babylon are about to spread completely to the remaining part of the world as the religion of Mystery Babylon, the one world religious system of satan.

(Revelation 9:15) And the four angels were loosed, which were prepared for an hour, and a day, and a month, and a year, for to slay the third part of men.

Satan’s four generals have been held in place for this very prophetic time. They are coming, hoping to deceive the rest of the world which has held out its allegiance, including God’s elect which have not faltered. Of course, since God’s elect have been sealed, they will continue to hold strong.

(Revelation 9:16) And the number of the army of the horsemen were two hundred thousand thousand: and I heard the number of them.

This is an idiom meaning they will be innumerable.

(Rev 9:17) And thus I saw the horses in the vision, and them that sat on them, having breastplates of fire, and of jacinth, and brimstone: and the heads of the horses were as the heads of lions; and out of their mouths issued fire and smoke and brimstone.

Again, these beings are ready to tear people’s souls to pieces. They will have a false gospel, and their deception will cover up the light of God’s truth.

(Rev 9:18) By these three was the third part of men killed, by the fire, and by the smoke, and by the brimstone, which issued out of their mouths.

Those who have not yet submitted to this world system, but do not have God’s Seal, will finally whore after satan and receive the Mark of the Beast, as satan’s deception convinces them.

(Rev 9:19) For their power is in their mouth, and in their tails: for their tails were like unto serpents, and had heads, and with them they do hurt.

The authority they are given for deception is by their words, and is able to poison the minds of those who would allow themselves to be stung. They are just as evil as the old serpent, satan, and will do whatever is necessary to accomplish their objectives.

(Rev 9:20) And the rest of the men which were not killed by these plagues yet repented not of the works of their hands, that they should not worship devils, and idols of gold, and silver, and brass, and stone, and of wood: which neither can see, nor hear, nor walk:

(Rev 9:21) Neither repented they of their murders, nor of their sorceries, nor of their fornication, nor of their thefts.

Those who are not physically harmed in this time, yet who don’t have eyes to see and ears to hear God’s truth, and are victims of this deception, will not repent: They don’t even know enough to realize how wrong they are.

This is the reason we study God’s Word. We don’t want to fall victim to satan. Though these people will be satan’s victims, they will still be held accountable for their inadequacy. Study and prepare so that you will be one that will please God.

In the last chapter, Revelation 7, we read about the 6th seal, in which God’s elect are sealed with the truth by the Holy Spirit. And now we are about to read of the 7th seal, which is understanding of all the seals as a whole, in preparation of the coming tribulation and antichrist.

(Rev 8:1) And when he had opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven about the space of half an hour.

The 7th seal is the understanding of the sequence of events in the end times. By the time the 7th seal is opened, in this sequence of events, satan, as antichrist, will have been on the earth for the second half of the Tribulation, (666–6th seal, 6th trump, 6th vial), and therefore during that second half, there is silence in heaven because he will no longer be there fighting the battle he had led during the first half against God’s angels.

(Rev 8:2) And I saw the seven angels which stood before God; and to them were given seven trumpets.

No we are going to go into the 7 trumpets, which announce the sequence of events of the end times.

(Rev 8:3) And another angel came and stood at the altar, having a golden censer; and there was given unto him much incense, that he should offer it with the prayers of all saints upon the golden altar which was before the throne.

(Rev 8:4) And the smoke of the incense, which came with the prayers of the saints, ascended up before God out of the angel’s hand.

God hears all of our prayers, and He answers them accordingly. The answer isn’t always a yes because God always knows and does what is best for us. However, the faith that comes with these prayers pleases God and He values that. The saints, God’s elect, because they are led by the Holy Spirit, are guided as to what they should pray for, as no one knows God’s complete will because only He has the ability to know and see all.

(Rom 8:26) Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.

(Rom 8:27) And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God.

(Rom 8:28) And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.

(Rev 8:5) And the angel took the censer, and filled it with fire of the altar, and cast it into the earth: and there were voices, and thunderings, and lightnings, and an earthquake.

The censer filled with prayers is filled with God’s consuming fire and He sends it to earth with His Holy Spirit to fire up all of His elect. As the trumpets start to sound, it is a call to action for His servants, and it will stir up the entire world because when God’s pure truth is shared, the reaction is either love or hate from the people of the world.

(Rev 8:6) And the seven angels which had the seven trumpets prepared themselves to sound.

What these trumpets are about to announce will not be seen or perceived in a physical sense; it is on a spiritual level, and you will need spiritual eyes to see and ears to hear or you won’t even know or understand that it’s happening.

These trumpet began, at the start of this last generation, which took place in 1948. As the generation has progressed, the rate at which prophecies are fulfilled, has been accelerating. These are known as the labor pains, and this is labor of the birth of a new age, which will begin when Jesus returns, after the Tribulation.

(Rev 8:7) The first angel sounded, and there followed hail and fire mingled with blood, and they were cast upon the earth: and the third part of trees was burnt up, and all green grass was burnt up.

At the sound of this first trumpet, a vast number of people of the world, the trees and the grass, will become spiritually dead, as they do not know God through Jesus Christ, nor do they even care to know Him. This spiritual death can be overcome, but it is very difficult while in the flesh. But for many of them, there will be a chance in the Millennium, under Jesus’ rule on earth.

This spiritual destruction is accomplished through the hidden dynasty of education of the kenites, which is the 4th seal, in chapter 6 of Revelation, and through this means, people’s minds easily become more pliable to those in power.

(Rev 8:8) And the second angel sounded, and as it were a great mountain burning with fire was cast into the sea: and the third part of the sea became blood;

As this second trumpet sound the nations (mountains) of the world begin to lose their sovereignty and are cast into the sea, which represents the people of the world. Then the nations of the world slowly become subject to the authority of a world government.

While this is taking place, even more people of the world (the sea again) begin to become spiritually dead. They become deceived by the delusions of people who would rather work out their own salvation to try to bring world peace, rather than turn to Jesus Christ to bring them peace. We are told in the Bible that until the time that Jesus returns, there will be no world peace. Those people who try to establish it on their own are liars and are accursed, because without establishing peace in Jesus’ name, tensions and hatred with fester up in people’s hearts until it boils over. This is inevitable, and for this reason, peace cannot ever be enforced, it must be welcomed through the love of Jesus.

(Rev 8:9) And the third part of the creatures which were in the sea, and had life, died; and the third part of the ships were destroyed.

Not only are these nations losing their independence, but the world trade between sovereign nations and the world’s economy is affected, and begins to grow weaker. This is accomplished through the hidden dynasty of economy, which is the 3rd seal.

(Rev 8:10) And the third angel sounded, and there fell a great star from heaven, burning as it were a lamp, and it fell upon the third part of the rivers, and upon the fountains of waters;

This great star that falls from heaven is satan, the other morning star. He is the false morning star, or the false light bearer, Lucifer. Just as he is represented by the moon, and God represented by the sun, the poorly reflects the light that the sun gives off on its own, and satan poorly imitates the light of God’s truth and dimly lights the night, which is the Tribulation. Satan likes to try to imitate everything that God is and pass himself off as an angel of light.

(2Co 11:14) And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light.

(2Co 11:15) Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works.

Those who serve satan at the deepest capacities are called the illuminati, which is an organization also run by the kenites. These are the “illuminated ones”, which are really only falsely illuminated. They help spread the deception of satan to control the people of the world through the four hidden dynasties. Just as Christians are to be the lamps of God, the illuminati, those who choose to serve satan, are the lamps of satan.

Their deception sweeps the whole world away in a flood of lies and leads it right into the one world political system. This political system is a product of the political dynasty of the 2nd seal. The fountains of waters represent the Christians of the world, and they are just as susceptible to the deception as anyone else. Only the most familiar with God’s Word will recognize what is happening.

(Rev 8:11) And the name of the star is called Wormwood: and the third part of the waters became wormwood; and many men died of the waters, because they were made bitter.

Wormwood is the poison of satan and he poisons the fountains of living water from God. The same Christians who have accepted Christ and His salvation will drink this water poisoned by Wormwood, and will be led astray from God, right into satan’s one world system when he arrives as antichrist. When Christians follow antichrist, along with the rest of the world, they will become spiritually dead. For most of them there will be no chance until we enter the Millennium, after Jesus returns.

The religious system that will soon follow will be the result of the dynasty of religion, which has been thousands of years in the making, and is the 1st seal. It first took root when the nethinim worked their way into service in the temple centuries before Christ. They gradually worked their way up in position to be the very priests, slyly taking those positions from the Levites, and pretending to be holy. These are the false jews mentioned in Revelation 2 & 3.

(Rev 8:12) And the fourth angel sounded, and the third part of the sun was smitten, and the third part of the moon, and the third part of the stars; so as the third part of them was darkened, and the day shone not for a third part of it, and the night likewise.

In the 4th trumpet, God’s truth (the sun) is covered more than it has ever been in the past. Anyone who is left who has not been fooled by the lies of satan and his servants will then be pulled in and made ready to worship the beast system and antichrist. The earth will, at this point, be prepared for the Tribulation, and will move swiftly into the 5th trumpet of the One World Government.

(Rev 8:13) And I beheld, and heard an angel flying through the midst of heaven, saying with a loud voice, Woe, woe, woe, to the inhabiters of the earth by reason of the other voices of the trumpet of the three angels, which are yet to sound!

These angels are warning that the world is about to enter into the Tribulation, a time of the greatest troubles the earth and flesh man have ever seen. Anyone who doesn’t know what to expect should hit the books and prepare because it is about to get rough!

The Mark of the Beast is often misunderstood as a physical mark (or chip) placed on people, during the time antichrist is on earth, for those who worship antichrist and his system. However, that is an assumption based on misunderstanding of scripture.

The Mark of the Beast will be dealt to most of the people on earth (Mat 24:24, Rev 7:3-4, 12:9-15, 13:11-16) while antichrist is here because they will have been deceived into worshiping him and his system (Rev 14:9), and they will have served him because they will believe he is the Messiah. This mark is not a physical mark because it is based on what people feel in their hearts; and therefore it goes much deeper than a physical trait. No one can hold us down and force us to feel something in our hearts and therefore a physical mark cannot change our minds. God cares more about where our loyalties lie, than what someone has made us do to ourselves physically.

This mark is in one’s forehead and in one’s right hand (Rev 13:16), and these terms are symbolic. The mark that is in people’s foreheads is in their brains, and it is those people’s belief that antichrist is the Messiah or God, which he will claim to be. This is the mark of deception that is brought forth in the flood of lies from satan’s mouth (Rev 12:15). The mark in the right hand represents someone’s works in serving the system of antichrist, and doing his will. The right hand in biblical times was always symbolic of power or work.

The Mark of the Beast is mutually exclusive with the Seal of God, meaning that everyone on earth will have either the mark or the seal. The Seal of God is protection against the torment that those with the Mark of the Beast will suffer (Rev 7:3, 9:1-11, 14:9-11,16:1-4, 8-14, 17-21). Those with the Mark of the Beast will continue to be plagued through the tribulation unless they wake up and repent, and turn against antichrist (Mar 3:28-29, Luk 21-12-19, 1Jo 1:9, Rev 16:1-4, 8-14, 17-21) before Jesus returns.

Those without the Mark of the Beast will not be allowed to buy or sell (Rev 13:17), and that can be accomplished by many ways even though the mark is not a physical mark. One such way as there may be a card issued to those who have proven their loyalty to antichrist when they have worshipped him, but that card would not be the mark. God’s people will be provided-for none-the-less because they will remain faithful to Jesus Christ and not fall for antichrist.

The only way to avoid receiving the Mark of the Beast is to read, study, and understand the Bible (2Th 7-12, 2Ti 2:15, Rev 7:1-4), as even many professing Christians will be deceived, along with the rest of the world (Mat 24:22-24, Mar 13:20-23, Rev 12:9-15, 13:11-14), because they don’t care enough for Jesus to pick up God’s Word and read it. Those people who will be sealed by the Holy Spirit as protection are those who know and love Jesus Christ and His Word (2Ti 2:15, Rev 7:3-4), as He is the Living Word, and this sealing will be accomplished before antichrist arrives (Rev 7, 9:1-12).

The receiving of the Mark of the Beast does not condemn someone to die in the Lake of Fire, however, they will be in danger of this sentence (Rev 20:4-6, 11-15) if they do not repent and turn back to and serve Jesus Christ once they realize what they have done. Those who do not do so by the time Jesus Christ returns will have a chance in the Millennium Kingdom to be taught and disciplined to learn the ways of God and forsake their selfish ways (Eze 44, Rev 20:1-6). During this time, they will be considered spiritually dead (Eze 44:23:25, Rev 20:4-6, 12-13), and at the end of the Millennium, they will be tested one last time (Rev 20:7-9), and if they fail this test, after the Great White Throne Judgment, they will be thrown into the Lake of Fire (Rev 20:11-15). If they instead pass and are found in the Book of Life, they will be granted eternal life at that time (Rev 20:5, 21, 22).

If someone is truly saved by Jesus Christ, though they may be deceived when antichrist is here, they will overcome in the Millennium, or perhaps before, because they love Jesus Christ and they will do what it takes to make it right (Rom 1:16, 11:23-27, 1Ti 2:10). The only way to salvation is to accept it through Jesus Christ (Joh 14:6-7, 1Th 5:9, 1Ti 2:10, 3:15), and our lives will reflect that salvation if we are truly saved (Tit 2:7-15, 3:1-8, 14-15, Jam 2:14-26, Rev 2:4-5, 20:11-13).

Now we have arrived at the final sealing of God’s elect. In the previous chapter, we were given the first 6 seals on the book given to the Lamb to open sequentially. Each of these seals was a bit of knowledge that the servants of our God are to possess before the arrival of Antichrist. Though the 7000 predestinated elect would be born in this final generation to receive and teach this knowledge, the 144,000, about whom we will read in this chapter, have also shown themselves faithful enough, in the flesh, to be given this understanding and make a stand against Antichrist, during the Tribulation. After this Seal of God is placed in God’s elect, they are protected from receiving the Mark of the Beast because they will not be able to be deceived into worshiping Antichrist. Aside from the 144,000, who belong to the tribes of Israel all over the earth, there are also elect that God has put into the other races of the world, called kings of the ethnos. Anyone who has not been sealed will worship Antichrist and the beast system, and they will receive the Mark of the Beast.

(Rev 7:1) And after these things I saw four angels standing on the four corners of the earth, holding the four winds of the earth, that the wind should not blow on the earth, nor on the sea, nor on any tree.

These four angels holding back the four winds are the four archangels, who are basically the generals of God’s army of His elect in Heaven. They are holding back the four winds (or spirits), the chief angels of satan, about which we will read in Revelation 9:14-15.

On another level, on the flip side, this verse may additionally be telling us that, by the time Antichrist arrives, all of the souls in Heaven will have been born in the flesh. The wind here often represents the breath of life, while the sea represents the people of the earth, and trees represent people as well. Each soul receives one chance to live and die on earth, as we are told in Hebrews 9:27 (including those who have died in the womb), and this chance is to see what that person will do with their flesh life, choose God or satan, by default.

The hypothesis is that, because when Antichrist is on earth, the world will expect a dawning of a new age because they will think that the Messiah has returned, and so they will not think it strange for there to be no more pregnancies. And for most of those of us who know better, it would make sense that all souls would be born by then because those who are not sealed by the time Antichrist arrives are too late to be sealed anyway, and therefore, they would not have a chance to be sealed or to hear the Gospel in their lives. In the second half of the Tribulation, the half in which Antichrist is here, there will be a famine for hearing the Word of God, according to Amos 8–the world shall seek it, but not be able to find it and be fed this Bread of Life.

(Rev 7:2) And I saw another angel ascending from the east, having the seal of the living God: and he cried with a loud voice to the four angels, to whom it was given to hurt the earth and the sea,

(Rev 7:3) Saying, Hurt not the earth, neither the sea, nor the trees, till we have sealed the servants of our God in their foreheads.

These four chief demons of satan are told to wait until God’s servants are sealed for protection before they torment those on earth. They are allowed only to torment those who have the Mark of the Beast, as we are told in Revelation 9.

(Rev 7:4) And I heard the number of them which were sealed: and there were sealed an hundred and forty and four thousand of all the tribes of the children of Israel.

At this point, since these four winds are being held back, the sealing will now take place. And as far as the sealing of the 144,000, there will be an equal share of those from each tribe, 12,000. However, you will notice that there is no mention of Dan because they were removed from this inheritance, in this earth age, due to idolatry. In Dan’s place, Joseph’s inheritance was split in two with his sons Manasseh and Ephraim. In these verses, Ephraim is listed as Joseph, while Manasseh was listed separately. Dan will once again be returned to its position and blessing during the Millennium, as we read in Ezekiel 48.

(Rev 7:5) Of the tribe of Juda were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Reuben were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Gad were sealed twelve thousand.

(Rev 7:6) Of the tribe of Aser were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Nepthalim were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Manasses were sealed twelve thousand.

(Rev 7:7) Of the tribe of Simeon were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Levi were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Issachar were sealed twelve thousand.

(Rev 7:8) Of the tribe of Zabulon were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Joseph were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Benjamin were sealed twelve thousand.

This was the sealing of the 12 tribes of Israel who have been scattered all over the earth and, along with the 7000, are the most faithful Christians on earth.

(Rev 7:9) After this I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands;

After the sealing, John saw a vision, that took place after the Tribulation, in which there was a great magnitude of people surrounding the throne of Christ, and they were all wearing white robes and had palms in their hands. The white robes of these saints are made up of the righteous works of each person (Revelation 19:7-8), while the palms are fronds from the date palm tree, or phoinix in the Greek. The date palm represents eternal life, as these trees can be used for a great multitude of life-sustaining purposes, and are very important throughout the Bible.

(Rev 7:10) And cried with a loud voice, saying, Salvation to our God which sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb.

(Rev 7:11) And all the angels stood round about the throne, and about the elders and the four beasts, and fell before the throne on their faces, and worshipped God,

(Rev 7:12) Saying, Amen: Blessing, and glory, and wisdom, and thanksgiving, and honour, and power, and might, be unto our God for ever and ever. Amen.

These most faithful saints are completely content in praising the Lord by the seven spirits, blessing, glory, wisdom, thanksgiving, honor, power and might, about which we learned in Revelation 5.

(Rev 7:13) And one of the elders answered, saying unto me, What are these which are arrayed in white robes? and whence came they?

(Rev 7:14) And I said unto him, Sir, thou knowest. And he said to me, These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.

This angel told John that these 144,000, along with the rest of the saints, are those who went through the Great Tribulation, and by the blood of Christ, they washed their robes, or righteous acts clean.

(Rev 7:15) Therefore are they before the throne of God, and serve him day and night in his temple: and he that sitteth on the throne shall dwell among them.

They will never be hungry for the Lord, the Word of God, because, from the beginning of the Millennium on, they will serve Him personally serve Him in His temple, and they will never suffer any trials or tribulation again.

(Rev 7:17) For the Lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall feed them, and shall lead them unto living fountains of waters: and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes.

They will receive eternal spiritual, incorruptible bodies at the time Jesus returns, after the Tribulation, and they will drink from the Living Water that flows from Jesus, which ensures they will never suffer again.

How badly would you like to be in this position of the 144,000? Well, no matter who you are, if you are counted among His most faithful, and are this sealed by God, you will receive these blessings and be with Jesus from the time He returns and forever.

The Deadly Wound is crisis that happens to the one world government during the tribulation that would potentially bring the whole system crashing down. However, before the government descends into chaos, antichrist will appear and heal this deadly head wound and restore the authority and power of the one world political system (Rev 13:1-3) and transform it into a one world religious system with himself as its leader (Rev 13:4-18).

This wound occurs in one of the political heads of the system, which represents one of seven world nations roughly outlined by the continents, and it threatens the authority of this government which has been established under satan’s power and influence (Rev 13:3-4). At the end of the first half of the tribulation, the enforced world peace will be threatened when war breaks out in the Middle Eastern Head and it will culminate with the city of Jerusalem being surrounded by armies (Luke 21:20-21), at which point satan will enter in and wipe out the armies that come against it (Rev 13:3). These armies will be comprised of forces of other Middle Eastern nations, and fortified by Russian forces (Eze 38 in a physical sense), while supporting the nation of Israel, at least in spirit, will be the Christian nations of the world, the US with a coalition of European nations, most likely also including Canada and Australia as well. Russia will have betrayed these nations of the coalition in backing these middle eastern nation because traditionally Russia is a Christian nation (Dan 7:5).

The one world political system is the creation of satan (Rev 13:4), and it is absolutely essential for his plan for world tyranny, when he comes in as antichrist, so when this Deadly Wound occurs, he knows he must come in to fix it because he is very familiar with the scripture that says every kingdom divided against itself shall be brought to a desolation (Matt 12:25-26, Mark 3:23-26, Luke 11:17-20). This kingdom of his must be stable and solid to remain functional, but true peace cannot be enforced because tensions and hatreds will fester behind the scenes, and when those tensions get too high, they will boil over into a war that is the deadly wound. There cannot be true peace or love without Jesus Christ (Isa 57:20-21), and this government will certainly not have Him as their standard, and this is why it is ultimately destined to fail. There will be no world peace until Jesus returns and the flesh is done away with (Isa 59:1-10, Jer 6:10-15, 8:8-11, 12:10-13, Eze 13:9-16).

The world will believe that Jerusalem will be on the verge of destruction and so they will mistakenly identify this event as the Battle of Armageddon (Eze 38 in a spiritual sense, Rev 16:12-16), and so when satan comes in to heal this deadly wound by stopping the hostilities in a grand entrance (Eze 39 in a physical sense, Rev 16:17-21, 18-19), they will believe he is Jesus Christ, or their respective messiah, coming to bring true world peace. They will worship satan, the antichrist (Rev 13:11-14), and will want to truly establish this world peace because they think that he is the Savior of the world (2Thess 2:3-12), and they will feel peace and love in their hearts because of his deception. The people of the world will believe that there can no longer be any more war once this second beast comes to de facto power (1Thess 5:3), but it won’t be until the true Christ returns, months later, that the world will finally see true peace because our one and only Savior will have finally come to earth to establish His Millennium Kingdom (Eze 39-48, Zech 14, Rev 20).

The Lord’s Day begins the day that Jesus returns, and this entire time period is generally called the Lord’s Day (the Day of the Lord is mentioned throughout the major and minor prophets). However, as we are told, a day with the Lord is as a thousand years for man (2Pet 3:8), so not only does the Day of the Lord consist of the day He returns (Rev 1:4-11), but lasts for the entire Millennium. The Millennium is known as the Lord’s Day.

If we look at the time since Adam was made, which was approximately 6000 years ago, as a week symbolically, then what we see is that the Millennium, which will be a thousand years itself, would make of the 7th day of the week, the Lord’s Day. This is a 7000 year span lasting from the formation of Adam by God to the end of the Millennium, with each thousand-year period being as one day in the Lord’s eyes.

Now, 7 is a number, which in the Bible represents spiritual completion, so this tells us that at the end of the Millennium, we will finally reach a stage, after satan is released one last time, in which, those who have not been destroyed in the Lake of Fire (Rev 20:10-15) will be spiritually complete, and all evil will have been purged from God’s Kingdom. The number 1000 represents our Father’s Glory in the Bible, and this is because after the Millennium, a time period when the Son will reign on earth in person, God will come down to earth in His full glory to rule on earth in our midst (Rev 21-22). And the number 7000, in the Bible, represents the Zadok, as well as Final Judgment. There are 7000 predestinated elect on earth in this final generation (Rom 11:4), but aside from that, at the end of this 7000 year period, from the time of the formation of Adam, will be the Final Judgment (Rev 20:11-13), which is at the end of the Millennium.

If you extend the understanding that a day with the Lord is as a thousand years with man, and apply it to the creation of this earth age, then each day in Genesis 1 would be a one-thousand-year period, but to God it was one day each. The word translated as “day” in Genesis 1, yom, does not always mean a literal day. Yom can also mean a season, a time, or an age. The term translated as evening, ereb, can also be used in a symbolic sense. Therefore, we can surmise that what we are talking about here, in Genesis 1, is six 1000-year time periods. The reason that this is significant is that the recreation of the earth in this earth age given to us in Genesis 1, and including the 7th day, the Sabbath, in Genesis 2, a one week period in God’s eyes, is a 7000-year period as well.

If we understand that man (all races) was created as hunter/gatherers on the 6th day (Gen 1:26-30), the number 6 representing man in the Bible, and Adam was created after the 7th day as the first man to till the soil (Gen 2:5-9), or farmer, then we are talking about two 7000-year periods, or 14,000 years. The number 14 in the Bible represents deliverance and salvation, and remember that we said that 1000 represents our Father’s Glory. What this tells us is that, when the Final Judgment occurs at the end of the Millennium, the Great White Throne Judgment, it is 14,000 years after God began creating this present earth age. Those who are found written in the Book of Life at that time will not be destroyed in the Lake of Fire, and thus they will have salvation and deliverance.

Bearing all that in mind, the Lord will return and the Lord’s Day will begin after the Tribulation (Matt 24:29-31, Mark 13:24-27, Luke 21:20-28). Jesus will return for His Second Coming during what is called the Battle of Armageddon, and will wipe out all of antichrist‘s forces that will be surrounding God’s Elect desiring to destroy them (Zech 14, Rev 11, 16:12-21), and this will bring in the Millennium Kingdom (Eze 40-48, Rev 21).